Get to know some of our talented authors featured in our author spotlights. You can see interviews, detailed biographies, and book summaries of some of the best in the industry.
HORAN: I'm a professional consultant in the Philadelphia area that specializes in developing solutions with the .NET architecture. I've been in the software/web development field for about 10 years. Currently I'm working for a client in the manufacturing industry. The company had previously done very little with doing business on the internet. I am heading up a team that is trying to improve their business processes using ASP.NET Web applications, Biztalk, Web Services, and Windows Services. I'm also writing articles for .NET magazines for future publication.
HORAN: To use .NET, you must have a solid understanding of how object oriented programming languages work. This wasn't really true in the old VB/ASP world, where almost anyone could sit down and start developing with it (and almost anyone did!). If you find yourself confused by what you are reading about OO or .NET, get some formal training. If you have chosen the Microsoft suite of technologies as your target discipline, start using .NET as soon as you can. Try to get yourself into a job where you are using it as much as possible.
Do whatever you can to use it professionally, even if you must take a pay cut to do so. In five years, there won't be very many, if any, highly compensated VB/ASP programmers out there.
HORAN: I see C# slowly taking over as the language of choice in the .NET realm. VB.NET will be very popular for a while, for the simple fact that it makes .NET easier to learn for the many VB programmers making the switch. But, Microsoft clearly prefers C#, which influences the top authors, trainers, and leaders in the .NET community. Most language neutral material out there is written with C#, especially the advanced topics. I beleive that many Java developers will be making the switch to .NET, and when they do, they will prefer C#. I personally feel that it fits better with the object oriented concepts in .NET. And while the party line is "Pick and .NET compatible language you want", the reality is that most development shops will want to have a standard language that all developers use.
HORAN: Having been with so many different clients over the past years, I've seen many situations where companies have hired candidates whose skills were not, shall we say, "as advertised".
Trying to technically assess candidates during an interview can be tricky, because many good developers may be too nervous to answer properly. ReviewNet tests allow candidates to be assessed in a more relaxed way, and combining the assessments with proper interviewing techniques greatly enhances the chances of hiring an excellent person.
HORAN: Most Microsoft technologies can be learned at a basic level without working with them day to day. People can pick up a VB book, a C# book, a VB.NET book, sit down at their computer at home and teach it to themselves. While that is a great first step, it does not replace real world experience solving problems with these technologies. Also, the learning curve between the old Microsoft architecture (DNA, ASP, VB, etc) and the .NET architecture is steep, and it involves some "unlearning", meaning you must forget how you used to do certain tasks in DNA. I tried to design the test to ensure that the candidate has real world experience with C#, as well as a solid understanding of how the .NET architecture works.
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